


hope and forever

by orphan_account



Series: Random Drabbles [12]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Pining, Pining Remus Lupin, Single Parent Remus Lupin, Werewolf Mates, remus lives!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:47:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's been a few weeks since the Lupin men have seen Hermione, and they decide to take action to rectify that. Moony is increasingly impatient, too.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Remus Lupin
Series: Random Drabbles [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1463191
Comments: 31
Kudos: 153
Collections: Best of Remione





	hope and forever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mightbewriting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mightbewriting/gifts).



> Hello! Since the end of July, every Monday and Friday, without fail, mightbewriting has filled my inbox with joy and delight. The expansion of her "wait and hope" universe is sheer perfection, and I wanted to give a little bit of that joy back to you.  
> Thank you for sharing your beautiful stories! I enjoy them so! Love and gratitude to you! 
> 
> Much love and thanks to the incredible Frumpologist who gave this a quick read before posting. No alpha or beta, and all errors will definitely be my own.

* * *

“ _Mate, mate, mate. Get her. Tell her to come. Tell her there’s food. We made Mate food. We take care of her.”_ Moony doesn’t stop talking as he paces and huffs himself into a nervous frenzy.

Unsurprising. It’s going on the third week since they’ve seen Hermione, and regardless of how much Remus tries, he’s hardly successful in calming his inner wolf—not that Remus has been trying _that_ hard.

Because...

He’s missed Hermione, too.

But there’s been Teddy. And work. And…oh, _life_. It’s exhausting and he hasn’t been able to keep up this month. It’s only logical to presume it’s been a busy few weeks for Hermione as well. There’s also the fact that Moony has a track record for being a selfish prick, constantly insistent on having his way.

Needless to say, Remus has been determined and even content in his role of pining martyr, wholly _unselfish._ Resolved in his silent and distant devotion—until even Teddy mentioned several times this week they haven’t seen Hermione much lately. And he’d missed the witch, too.

That settles the matter for Moony.

They’ve all gone too long without encountering the dazzling witch that is Hermione Granger. and it’s time to remedy that. The plan they hatch is thus: prepare a dinner for her, on the night of the week she’s usually to be found at the bookstore, perusing through the newest inventory. Invite her to join them at home. If she declines that for Hermione reasons like “not wanting to impose” or “wouldn’t want to be a bother”, then they’ll offer to take her out instead. If she declines that, they’ll offer to make plans for another time.

If she still declines, Remus will have to deal with a dejected child for the foreseeable future and Moony will resolve to mourn her the rest of his days.

“No pressure at all, then,” Remus mutters to himself.

He checks his reflection once more before going to assist Teddy with his shoes—he’s given up on his child’s hair by this point in time. It’s forever turquoise and unruly.

“Ready?” he asks.

“Ready!” Teddy exclaims, throwing himself into Remus’ waiting arms.

“ _Ready!”_ Moony barks.

Remus takes out his wand, and they’re off. Unto the breach.

Off to woo the beautiful maiden and all that…

Teddy wriggles free of Remus’ arms the moment they appear in Diagon Alley. He bursts through the door of the tiny bookstore, sprinting, and calling out, “Hermione! Hermione!”

Patrons startle and stare and Remus tries to shush his child.

Or regain some measure of composure in the situation.

But that’s a hopeless cause.

Because Moony is just as frantic now as well.

“ _Mate, mate, mate!”_

Merlin help him.

“Teddy?”

Riotous curls, large brown eyes, and freckled cheeks appear from between two wooden shelves, and all previous hope for composure is lost. All the weeks it’s been since he’s laid eyes on Hermione crash into him, and it’s a rush being confronted with the fullness of her beauty after _so fucking long_ …

“You have to come with us, Hermione!” Teddy’s wasted no time, rushing and taking the witch by the hand. He tugs and pulls her in Remus’ direction, looking to his father for further explanation. “We have a surprise at home, and you have to come! Now!”

“ _Yes!”_ Moony agrees. “ _Come now. Come and stay. Stay forever.”_

It’s the sort of situation that should have thrown Remus. Should have had him throwing up his hands, swearing under his breath, and lecturing everyone and everything back into decorum. But, then again, he grew up being friends with Sirius and James, two of the most chaotic wizards to have ever lived. Then there was Dora…

He starts with his son: “That’s not what we planned on saying, Teddy. We were supposed to invite her to join us—“

“Hermione, will you join us at home?” Teddy looks back to a confused Hermione, eyes wide and pleading. “Please, please, please will you join us?”

Remus shakes his head, holding his son’s shoulder. “We need to see if she doesn’t have other plans first.”

“But we know she doesn’t because she’s here where she is every Thursday, Dad—“

 _…Godric and all the Founders_ …

“Well, that’s true, Teddy, but I wouldn’t want to—“

“Hermione, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” Remus takes a moment to breath, to reclaim some dignity in the chaos of this mucked up invitation. “We remembered this is your usual bookstore night and you work so hard, and we just—“

“We made you food!” Teddy rushes unable to hold back the tides of surprise any longer.

“Food?” Hermione cants her head, looking between father and son.

“Yes!” A wide grin splits Teddy’s face. “Steak and kidney pie and some lemon pudding thing that Daddy says is your favourite.”

Moony is glaring and by all accounts _not_ happy. “ _Pup is outdoing us._ ” Remus thinks that accusation is a bit premature and unfair, and is decidedly snippy that Teddy is _not_ outdoing him. “ _He is.”_ Moony snorts. “ _He’s cuter and Mate his smiling more at Pup._ ”

“Erm. So. You’ve made me food?” Hermione’s confusion is more than evident now, and it spurs Remus into explanation.

“It’s... you’ve worked so hard and it’s been so long since we’ve seen you…” He takes a step closer to Hermione now. Nearer. Crossing into a proximity of familiarity. “Teddy and I… we thought you could use a break. You do so much for us and everyone, really. And we wanted to do a little bit of taking care of you for a change.”

“So... you made me food.” She licks her lips, and the pink of her tongue is the loveliest distraction in the entire world… “Shall I pop back to your home to collect it, or—“

Moony looses a frustrated howl. “ _No!_ ”

“Eat with us!” Remus bursts. _I’ve got this, old boy._ He takes a quick breath. Uncaring that this is happening in the public space of a bookstore in Diagon Alley. “Please. We’d love for you to join us for dinner at home.” 

She licks her lips again. Steps closer. Tucks an errant curl behind her ear. “Me. Eat with you two. With the two of you.”

None of those seemed to be questions. At least… she didn’t _appear_ confused.

Processing.

Analysing.

It’s Hermione. Of course she would be studying the invitation.

And like any caring, pining gentleman-slash-werewolf-slash-former-professor, he’s more than happy to provide her with more data to study.

“As I said, we haven’t seen you in a few weeks,” he starts. “Not that that’s anyone’s fault, but we’ve missed you. And if we’ve had a busy time of it all, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.”

“And so… the two you made me dinner, then?” Is it his imagination, or is there a ring of—of— _something_ in her voice? Something he can’t put his finger on, but something that makes him want to blush and burst all at once.

“Yes, yes!” Teddy claps his hands, vibrating with giddy energy. “Are you coming? Can you come now? I want to show you my new big boy bed and all the wolf toys my dad got me!”

She looks from Teddy to Remus, and Remus swears everything inside him melts as their eyes lock, and he finds the flecks of gold and green.

“You don’t have to if tonight’s a bad night,” he supplies in the silence between them. His voice is thick. Low. Husky. He doesn’t think he can blame Moony on it all, either. “It’ll keep for a night more convenient. But we remembered this is usually the evening you spend at the bookshop, and…”

He trails off, rubbing the back of his neck and wishing time had permitted him to feel more secure in these moments of vulnerable uncertainty. Moony’s tail goes from anxious wagging to nervous drooping in all of half a second—

But that’s all the time Hermione makes them wait.

The empty spaces between his fingers are empty no more.

Hermione slots her fingers through his. Smiling easily as she does. As if she’s done so a dozen times before. A thousand even. Moony yips and barks and leaps, euphonious—not a usual word that comes to mind when Remus thinks of Moony, nonetheless, it’s applicable here—and triumphant. All is hazy and dizzy as he stares at Hermione, and it takes him several moments to long to realise she’s taken Teddy by the hand, too.

“Lead the way, gentlemen.” She squeezes Remus’ hand, while Teddy swings their joined hands, boyishly beaming.

Maybe it’s euphoria, or maybe it’s love, but it’s the happiest Remus remembers being a long while as the three of them vanish from the bookstore with a satisfying ‘ _pop’_.

An action that feels a lot like family. And hope. And forever.


End file.
